Card Hazzard
by Clzh and Clzh-x
Summary: Dukemon rises from his defeat, but the finish of his battle might leave him in a dark despair. Card Hazzard has finally ended, but will the story go on. Please forgive us, time ran out.
1. Default Chapter

This is our third story. It's a cross between Digimon 03 and Yu-Gi-Oh. There's a bit of a Spider-man reference here. Enjoy!

**Card Hazzard.**

"Yamaki-san! The symbiosis prototype is now complete!"

"Good. Good."

"Uh Oh..."

"Never mind. What is it?"

"The pressure is rising to fast!"

"Shut down the system!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"It has developed a level of instinct. It now controls all systems attached to it."

"Shit," Yamaki swore.

"It's absorbing all the data from the server! It'll blow the entire system!"

The symbiote exploded out of the tank. The red liquid merged into a single ooze, then, slithered out of the building, and into Shinjuku.

"I seriously pity anything that crosses paths with that monster," Yamaki spoke softly.

Matsuki Takato ran along the path in the park area of Shinjuku, toward the area of Guilmon's old shed, as the rain poured down mercilessly. Takato tripped on the slick grass, and fell face first into the mud. By the time Takato actually reached the shed, he had removed the mud, retrieved his laptop, and activated the power.

So many memories echoed through his mind. He was sick of it all.

_'I'll show them all! Someday...'_ he thought.

**Flashback **

Takato grinned as he headed for Ruki's house. Today was her 16th birthday, and Takato was going to give her a great gift. He had discovered it last night, doing some random searching and hacking on the internet. He had found an old "Monster-Maker" file. It showed him how to open a portal to the digital world.

When he got to her house, he knocked three times on her door. It opened, and there stood Ryo. Takato could never explain it, but there always arose a strange jealousy in Takato's heart, whenever the two crossed paths.

"Hey, everybody! The loser's here!" Ryo called into the main hall. Takato heard Hirokazu whispering, and Ruki's giggle. Takato walked inside, shutting the door behind him. He walked slowly, registering what he had heard.

_'Loser, huh? That's a new one.'_

He sat down on the couch. His bag resting against the chair. Ruki sat down next to him, rather closely, too, Takato noticed.

"So, Goggle head, what did you get me for my birthday, hmm?" Ruki whispered into his ear. Over the past six years, the two Digimon Tamers had become extremely close friends. Ruki had opened herself up to him when Takato had truly shattered the ice around her heart.

"I'm not telling..." Takato grinned mischievously. "It isn't something you can wrap in a box."

"Awww..." Ruki whined. She laid her head on his shoulder, causing him to blush crimson.

Ryo walked into the room at that moment, grinning.

"So... Takato. Where've you been during the last few meetings? I heard you didn't show."

"It's none of your business, Akiyama. And, besides, why would you care? You haven't gone to one. Ever," Takato replied coolly. There was a resounding _ooohhh..._ and Ruki stuck her finger in her mouth and made a gesture that said _"Takato burned you, badly."_

"It doesn't really matter, but I'll continue: 1) my grandmother died, and I went to her funeral."

Ryo laughed, and Ruki shot him a scathing look, but Takato didn't see.

"2) I did community service work: helping to fix the damage we caused when we fought the Parasimon. Oh, and I didn't see you trying to fix the damage your Accel Arm attack made."

Ryo snickered, and Ruki's look of loathing increased.

"3) I was working in Ruki's birthday present. Actually, it was supposed to be a surprise for everyone, even you, Ryo."

At this point, Ryo burst into laughter. "Do you _honestly_ think that pack of lies sounded real? I've heard better lies from a 5-year-old explaining why the cookie jar was empty, and aliens came into that story. You're such a loser, Takato, and I'll show you that anything _you_ give her could be trash, compared to this." Now, Ryo grabbed Ruki's waist, and kissed her. He broke away from her grinning maliciously.

"You honestly think that you could compare to _me?_ You are one sad crybaby."

That did it. Takato stood up, hot tears running down his face.

"I guess that you never want anyone to see their Digimon again, because that was my present. I even found Leomon's egg data."

He rubbed his eyes clear, and charged Ryo. Takato threw his fist at Ryo, and it collided with his lower jaw. The sound of something shattering, echoed through the room. Takato turned on his heel, picked up his bag, and left the house. If he had stayed a little longer, he could've watched Ruki order Hirokazu and Kenta to hold Ryo upright, so she and Jenrya could proceed to take turns beating the shit out of him.

** End Flashback **

Takato rummaged through his bag, taking out one of his sketchbooks. He had dedicated each sketchbook to a different tamer. The pad he had taken out was the one he had filled with sketches of Ruki and Renamon. He flipped through various pages as his computer loaded. He had filled in quite a few pictures of Ruki in different poses. He found the one that he had drawn a few days ago. Ruki was sitting in a field, resting against a tree. It was during the sakura festival, and the petals on the blossoms were falling. The Ruki-drawing was staring onto the other page, looking expectantly for something or someone. Takato realized he had left the picture unfinished, and picked up a pencil.

Takato stuck his tongue against his cheek, a habit that always seemed to help him focus. His hand slid and swerved the pencil across the light paper, a form taking shape. Takato never focused on what he actually drew until it was finished, and saw that he had unwittingly drawn himself. The Takato-drawing was smiling and waving to the Ruki-drawing from the lower portion of the hill Takato had drawn himself. Takato smiled, and erased part of the Ruki-drawing's face. He then added a small smile, which Ruki once showed him; he knew for a fact that it was a rarity.

He looked at the finished product, and then placed the sketchpad back in his bag. He looked at his laptop, which had finished loading, and he activated the old file, following the instructions, and pressed "Activate."

Takato's Laptop began to overheat quickly, and a shining vortex appeared in front of him. From the vortex came a blood-red foot with 6-inch claws bursting out of each digit. The other foot, and two clawed-hands followed suit. The red and black body of Guilmon followed after. As the head of Takato's reptilian digimon followed, Takato noticed that Guilmon was dragging something across the floor. The vortex snapped shut the instant whatever Guilmon was dragging cleared the gap. Guilmon spat out the part of the thing he was dragging and looked at Takato.

Oh, boy. Guilmon's back. This'll be fun.


	2. Megidramon Completed

The 1st Chapter! Here we go!

Takato gulped, tears pouring down his face.

"Takato-kun! What's wrong?" Guilmon asked. Something seemed to click, and he smiled knowingly. "It's okay, Takato. I'm here."

Takato gulped, and ran to his partner. Takato collided forcefully with the multi-colored dinosaur, salty tears splattering on the floor.

"Its okay, Takato. Its over. I'm here." Guilmon smiled as Takato lifted himself up off the floor.

The young dinosaur motioned for Takato to come over, and began to rummage through the sack that he dragged through the portal. Guilmon pulled out a leather arm-band. Then another, and another, and another.

"Guilmon, what are these for?" Takato asked.

"They're quadrant-elite bands," Guilmon grinned. "I got them by winning Ultimate-level tournaments in each of the 4 quadrants. I thought you would like to put them on me."

"You won against Ultimate-level digimon?" Takato asked, incredulous.

"Yeah!"

"Well... I didn't expect my digimon to do that on his own." Takato smiled. He placed one band on Guilmon's arm, and his golden D-arc went off like a bomb, beeping and shining like crazy.

"What's going on?" Takato asked, looking at his D-arc screen. There was a strange, wire-frame image of something Takato hadn't seen in 6 years; and he really hoped to never see it again.

_**Level:**_

_**Megidramon**_

_**Attacks:**_

_**Megiddo Blaster;**_

_**Hell's Howling;**_

_**Flaming Destruction**_

_**Completion rate:**_

_**40%**_

Takato shivered, despite the fact that it was a warm night, and placed his D-arc on the ground. He grabbed the next band, and placed it on the opposite arm. A similar power surge occurred, and Takato grabbed his D-arc.

_**Level:**_

_**Megidramon**_

_**Attacks:**_

_**Megiddo Blaster;**_

_**Hell's Howling;**_

_**Flaming Destruction;**_

_**Dark Soul Blast**_

_**Completion rate:**_

_**60%**_

Takato stared at the D-arc screen for a while. The wire-frame was now covered by small portions of red armor.

"D-arc!" he called, testing out his new voice command. He had done some tinkering, and tweaked his D-arc to perform on a level that was completely foreign. The D-arc now recognized Takato's signature, DNA, and voice commands.

"User: Takato Matsuki... Affirmed.

Options: 1) Data search

2) Hack database

3) Scanner

4) Battle simulation

5) Upgrade

6) Personalize..."

"D-arc! Search for all files related to Megidramon!"

"Searching... Searching...

Search Complete. 4 files found.

Legend Regarding Digital Hazzard, Possible reference to Megidramon

Original Megidramon Data... Unperfected

Guilmon Evolutionary Data

Current Megidramon Data... Unperfected."

"Activate file number 2."

_**Level:**_

_**Megidramon**_

_**Attacks:**_

_**Megiddo Blaster;**_

_**Hell's Howling;**_

_**Completion rate:**_

_**20%**_

_**WARNING: Uncontrolled power. Random destruction protocol activated.**_

"D-arc! Explain term: Completion Rate," Takato ordered.

"Completion Rate: The level at which a Digimon can not only use its attacks, but control and manipulate them, also. The higher the Completion Rate, the more self-control a digimon has over itself."

"Show Completion Rate for Guilmon's battle levels during first evolution to Megidramon."

_**Level:**_

_**Guilmon**_

_**Attacks:**_

_**Fireball;**_

_**Rock Breaker;**_

_**Completion rate:**_

_**84%**_

_**WARNING: Ability to turn Feral when it feels it or those around it are in danger. Ability to sense danger is provided by Digital Hazzard.**_

_**Level:**_

_**Growmon**_

_**Attacks:**_

_**Plasma Blade;**_

_**Pyro Force**_

_**Completion Rate:**_

_**76%**_

_**WARNING: Increased Feral tendencies. Can turn Black if it feels threatened.**_

_**Level:**_

_**MegaloGrowmon **_

_**Attacks:**_

_**Atomic Blaster;**_

_**Detection Force**_

_**Completion Rate: 100%**_

_**WARNING: True-Synchronization activated. Tamer and Digimon think and feel as one. They now develop a mental link. If one is hurt, they both feel pain.**_

"Okay. That was strange," Takato said.

"Takato. I have an idea!" Guilmon grinned. "If these elite-bands increase the control I have over myself as Megidramon, maybe we can reach True-Synchronization in that form, too!"

"It's worth a shot," Takato grinned, and placed another band on Guilmon's leg.

_**Level:**_

_**Megidramon**_

_**Attacks:**_

_**Megiddo Blaster;**_

_**Hell's Howling;**_

_**Flaming Destruction;**_

_**Dark Soul Blast;**_

_**Luster Force**_

_**Completion rate:**_

_**80%**_

The partial image of Megidramon filled out some more, and Takato placed the final band on Guilmon's last leg. A huge power surge emanated from Guilmon, throwing Takato against the wall.

_**Level:**_

_**Megidramon**_

_**Attacks:**_

_**Megiddo Blaster;**_

_**Hell's Howling;**_

_**Flaming Destruction;**_

_**Dark Soul Blast;**_

_**Luster Force;**_

**_Digital Hazzard Terror _**

_**Completion rate:**_

_**100%**_

_**WARNING!! WARNING!! All Levels have 100% Completion Rate! Complete Synchronization has been achieved! All Mental and Physical abilities are now shared! DNA Fusion-Data created.**_

"Takato! Look Out! Behind you!" Guilmon shouted.

Takato sensed something, and leapt out of the way of the wave of red ooze.

The boy turned in mid-air and landed on his feet, growling softly. He accidentally activated his laptop, and his D-arc scanned the files saved to the hard drive.

**_Shinjuku: Digital Portal sequence activated. Opening all Digital Portals within Shinjuku._**

As Takato's D-arc glowed softly, his eyes narrowed. He growled loudly, and both he and Guilmon charged. Takato felt a burst of flame inside of him, and the two attackers let loose streams of fire.

"FIRE BALL!" the two roared in perfect unison. The blast of flame carried the ooze form into the night sky, where it exploded in a blaze of light.

Takato suddenly felt very woozy, and collapsed onto the floor. He was soon joined by Guilmon.

A pair of figures stood in the doorway, looking on, as Takato and Guilmon slept. One of the figures walked over to the laptop, and shut it off. It packed the laptop into the bag, and picked up the goggle-wearing boy. It slung the pack on its shoulder, and shifted the boy into a more comfortable position.

"Mmm... Ruki-chan..." Takato mumbled. This caught the figure off guard, and she almost dropped him. Brushing her hair out of the way of Takato's nostrils, she stood and tapped her foot impatiently, as her partner laughed silently. The latter swished her tail around, mocking the former.

Once the coast was clear, the two figures headed toward West Shinjuku, carrying their loads semi-clumsily.

If you couldn't figure out who the two figures were, you have a serious mental disorder. Bye!


	3. Transformation

This is the last that we'll post in a while.

X: You think I cook badly? Look at Shuichon.

Clzh: I think that Jen has it under control.

You can hear the sound of random crashes, and the Tamers shouting "No, Shuichon, no! Guilmon is not a flavor of pie!"

Takato comes in, holding a hacksaw.

"Start the chapter, NOW!"

Clzh and X: Okay! We don't own digimon, we just own plot devices and such. Let the Rukato commence!

"Ugh... Ouch... What hit me?" Takato questioned as he slowly rejoined the world of the living.

"It's about time, Takato," said a familiar voice to Takato's left.

"Huh? Who are you?" Takato asked. He saw the boy on his left had strange yellow eyes, fangs, and claws. He had white hair that shot out in all directions and markings adorned his body. In fact... he looked like a human Guilmon.

"That's because I am Guilmon, Takato."

"Did you read my mind?"

"Yes. We can do that, remember? We achieved Complete Synchronization last night, remember?"

Takato shivered. '_Okay... I'm in a room with a naked, Gijinka Guilmon. Wait... naked?!?_'

"Heheh. About that... Can I have some pants, please?"

Takato nodded slowly, and rummaged through his dresser. He tossed Guilmon a pair of red pants and some boxers. There was a loud ripping noise, and Takato slowly turned around.

Guilmon was standing there, holding the now-destroyed waistline of his pants. He was standing on the pant legs, too, so that left him in an odd, artfully ripped and torn, pair of shorts. Takato laughed, and tossed him a belt. Guilmon put it through the few loops that were left, and Takato looked at his handiwork. Guilmon did look good, like that.

"Thanks, Takato. Maybe you should get some new clothes, too."

Takato now examined himself. His clothes were utterly destroyed, as they couldn't fit his new tail.

"Oh, boy. Looks like the transfusion works both ways, eh?" Takato grinned. He rummaged, and found a pair of clothes that were similar to the one that was just destroyed. Once he modified his clothes to accept his tail and put them on, he realized something. '_He can read my thoughts. But, what about my dreams? Oh, no... What if he noticed the..._'

"Thanks for reminding me, Takato. Do all boys your age dream about girls butts?" Guilmon asked.

"Eh... I'm going downstairs. To help Okaa-san and Otou-san with the bakery. You coming?" Takato asked, avoiding the subject.

"Sure! I want to make Guilmon bread! I like that stuff!"

Takato smiled, and walked downstairs. Once he explained what happened (his parents took it well, considering their son had a tail. They figured it was another part of having a Tamer for a son), he put on his apron, and began to bake. He watched Guilmon figure out how to put on the apron.

The door chime rang, and Takato grimaced. It was Ruki, his former crush, and current center of his universe.

"Hello, Matsuki Bakery!" Ruki smiled. "I love this place! I get a discount when I buy bread! It's much better than that new market down the street. Hey, Goggle hea- TAKATO! What happened to you?" Ruki asked, indicating to his new tail.

"I'll tell you upstairs." Takato grinned, and began to walk up the stairs.

Once upstairs, Ruki followed the trail of destruction that Guilmon left. Takato watched Ruki walk, her hips swaying to an unheard beat, her eyes focusedtaking in every detail. He watched as she grabbed his arm and, wait..., ouch!

"Tell me what is going on. Or else," Ruki threatened.

"Let... go... of me... NOW!" Takato roared, his eyes turning feral. He rolled over, and pinned Ruki to his bed with his newly grown claws. There was the sound of someone stomping on the stairs, and Guilmon burst through the door.

Downstairs, Guilmon smiled as he read Takato's thoughts. Then he felt a mix of pain and anger, and grew feral. He stomped up the stairs, and burst through the door.

Ruki stared with fear at the boy who she had secretly loved for 4 years. She had been extremely sad and jealous when Takato had hooked up with Jeri, but encouraged the relationship. She cried herself to sleep for a while after that. When the two had broken up, instead of taking advantage, she comforted the boy of her dreams. Encouraging him to stand back up on his feet. That was when the two became the best of friends, always visiting each other, they did it so often that they never knocked anymore.

"T-Takato? Stop, please. I-I'm sorry!" Ruki exclaimed. Takato did nothing, but growled when Ruki sat up. "At least... let me do this..." Ruki whispered, and moved her head closer to Takato's. Guilmon lunged, but was knocked into the wall. He struggled as Renamon pushed him against the wall with her foot.

Takato returned back to his human state of mind as Ruki pressed her lips against his. The two fell over onto the bed, and Ruki's leg landed in between Takato's leg; not enough to hurt, but enough to make Takato blush crimson. When the two broke apart, Takato had a blush that could make any chili pepper instantly look pale, and Ruki had a wonderful blush of her own.

When she noticed what she just did, she kicked herself mentally, and tried to leave. But, due to their awkward position, she ended up falling back on to Takato.

"I-I'm sorry, Takato-kun. I-I don't know what happened... I just... couldn't control myse..." she didn't finish, as Takato covered her mouth with his. When the two broke apart, Ruki's eyes flooded with tears.

"Takato-kun. Why did you...?"

"Because, I hate it when you cry," he shrugged. "Besides," he whispered in her ear. "I love you, Ruki-chan," he grimaced, as he called her what no one had called her before. Ever. He expected a punch, or at least a slap, but not a wild exclamation of glee.

"Huh?" Takato exclaimed in confusion. Ruki threw her arms around him and began to giggle uncontrollably. Regaining her calm disposition, she kneeled onto Takato's lap.

"Takato-kun?" she asked, "I want to tell you something. Ever since I met you, I had a small degree of respect for you, though I didn't understand why. Later, as you showed me your kindness for others, that respect grew into attraction. I admit it. During the D-reaper saga, as Jenrya calls it, you proved to have a strong will to protect those you care about. Back then, it was Jeri. Before that, when I first Matrix Evolved to Sakuyamon, I realized that I was in love with you. Head-over-heels, unconditionally in love with you. It grew stronger and stronger with each passing day. My grades fell, because all I could think about was you. And, during the Parasimon incident, you saved me not once, not twice, but three times that day. You even defended me from Shuichon's suggestion. Now I know that I can safely admit this."

Ruki took a deep breath, and said, "Matsuki Takato, Ai Shiteru."

No response. She began to cry, when Takato wrapped his arms around her slender waist. This time, when he kissed her, it was pure affection and caring. Ruki moaned in pleasure as Takato licked her upper lip, seeking entrance. He was allowed in, and began to explore the inside of his girlfriend's mouth, firmly imprinting the blueprint of which into his mind.

Guilmon and Renamon had watched for a while, and then Guilmon turned, and faced Renamon.

"Rena?" Guilmon asked, using his pet-name for the kitsune.

"Hai, Guil?" she replied, also using her pet-name for him.

"You know what Takato said to Ruki?"

"Hai..."

"Well, I love you."

For a while, there was silence. Then, "Ai Shiteru, Guilmon."

Guilmon looked up, and Renamon kissed him, years of passionate desire exiting through her mouth.

Back with the Goggle-headed boy and his new girlfriend, Takato was having the time of his life, as Ruki pressed herself completely against him in a French kiss. Their D-arcs glowed their own respective colors, and Takato felt a tingling jolt pass through his system. Ruki felt it, too. But she received a bit more, than just a tingle. She felt her ears expand, and felt her skull rearrange as her ears slid up the sides of her head. She felt small claws burst out of her fingers and toes. There was an uncomfortable bulge near her butt, and she gasped, pulling away from Takato.

"Unn..." Ruki moaned uncomfortably. Her jeans provided little room in that area, as they weren't made for tails. She looked at Takato imploringly. "Goggle head... It hurts... Make it stop... please..." Ruki whispered in between gasps of pain. Her jeans were stretched to their bursting point, and this gave Takato an idea. Taking her hand, he found her index finger and placed it at the bottom of the stretched part.

Making a quick hand motion, Takato sliced Ruki's jeans open. Unfortunately, there was one more layer, and Ruki didn't stop moaning. '_Oh, Kami. She'll kill me.'_ Once again, Takato positioned Ruki's hand. Now that there was only one layer to go through, Ruki took control of her hand, turned Takato's head away, and made a ripping motion with her hand.

Now, a strange tail unfurled from the rip, a kitsune tail. Ruki swished it around a bit, and then caressed a blushing Takato with it. "Thank you, Takato-kun," she whispered. She smiled, but gasped in pain, and spasmed. This time she began screaming in pure agony. Two bulges on her shoulder plates appeared, but they kept on growing. Ruki screamed one last time, as the two bulges burst through, spraying skin chunks, blood, and pieces of her ripped shirt. Takato looked on with concern, but covered his eyes when Ruki's shirt ripped open. Ruki was now taking shaky breaths, and asked if Takato had any spare shirts he didn't wear anymore. Takato pointed in the general direction of the bottom dresser drawer. Ruki thanked him, and after two quick rips, the shirt was now officially hers.

Takato opened his eyes, and saw that Ruki now sported a relatively new shirt. It had random drawings of people playing sports. It was too small for Takato, so Ruki decided to take it. It fit just as nicely as her old shirt, so that wasn't a problem.

Now they had a new problem. Renamon, too, had transformed, but was wearing a skintight fur bathing suit, cut down the front in a V-shape to reveal a bit of her stomach and cleavage. Her hair was waist-length and a mix of white and yellow.

Takato thought for a moment, got an idea, and explained it to the others. They nodded, Ruki shrugged, but smiled. Takato then went downstairs with the others to explain his idea to his parents.

But, while everyone was still upstairs, all hell had broke loose.

Clzh: That's our last post for a while.

X: We got Guilmon out of the pie, but...

Clzh: But what?

Takato comes in laughing. Terriormon screams in the background, you can guess what's happening.

BYE!!


	4. Royal Knight Rebirth

**Clzh-X: Merry Christmas! Here you go! A new chapter that I wrote on my own! It has the songs: Slash (Card Slash theme); Evo (main Evolution theme); and One Vision (Matrix Evolution theme).**

**Clzh: **clears throat

**Clzh-X: On second thought, I didn't do anything, it was Mr. chef boy who took two months to write this chapter. Sees Clzh advancing slowly Start the fic! StartTheFic! StartTheFic! StartTheFic! StartTheFic! StartTheFic! StartTheFic! StartTheFic! StartTheFic! StartTheFic! Please, Oh Please Just Start The Fic!**

Card Hazzard chapter 4

While the group moved down the hall, Takato grinned gaily, until he felt a strange burn course through his system. Guilmon apparently felt it, too, as he fell to the ground, panting.

Ruki and Renamon rushed to their comrades, asking constantly if they were all right. Takato felt another burn, although it was small and temporary, compared to the last. He looked at Ruki, and noticed something very odd. Although the girl gave every sign that she cared, Takato saw that her _aura_ was slightly out of whack, as if the girl in front of him _wasn't_ Ruki. Guilmon noticed the same with Renamon; however, the two couldn't dwell on this, as Takato and his reptilian partner experienced a burst of pain, much stronger than the first two, and longer.

Takato fell to the floor, eyes closed. He stayed still for a bit, and then opened his eyes. One thing was immediately apparent: Takato could not say how, but there seemed to be something seriously wrong with the girls. Brushing it off, he stood up, shrugged off Ruki's hand and walked down the hall, ignoring the bursts of pain coursing through his system.

Once downstairs, everyone saw that the Matsuki bakery was wreathed in utter chaos. His parents saw him, and pointed at the sign on the door. Well, Mie did; Takehiro just smiled and shook his head. The _Closed for Repair_ sign graced the bakery's front door. Over the next few minutes, Takato learned that the noises from his room had sent the customers into a frenzied panic.

"Should I help?" Takato asked slyly, already knowing the answer.

"What? No!" his mother cried. "You've done enough! Just- just go..."

"Okay..." Takato grinned, and ran out the door, beckoning to the others.

Mie watched as the odd group left, she noticed an odd essence surrounding the female and kitsune. She shrugged it off, and went back to cleaning.

Now, Takato's idea consisted of a trip to the park, and the gang didn't find anything better, so they agreed. About halfway through the park the group met Ryo, Jenrya, and their respective digimon. Takato was in a seriously good mood, so he forgave Ryo easily, and even let the others come along. For some reason, Takato and Guilmon were burning like crazy, but they ignored it.

Takato continued forward, but Ruki's hand stopped him.

"What is it? Is something wro..." Takato turned around to see Ruki grinning sinisterly. He backed up a little, startled by her behavior. He looked around and saw Cyberdramon, Terriermon, and Renamon strangling Guilmon.

"What the... _Ruki?_" Takato stared at the girl next to him, whose grin had even grown larger, if possible. Ryo and Jenrya moved in on either side of the boy, and knocked him into a tree, wearing grins identical to Ruki. Takato stood up woozily, and was punched in the gut. Winded, Takato felt a serious burst of pain, and, instead of ignoring it, he acknowledged it, and felt a strange breed of power course through his system.

"Fire... BALL!" Takato roared, spitting forth a flaming ball of destruction, straight into Ryo's face. Guilmon grinned, and froze. He began to glow a bright red, and the three digimon dropped him instantly, their claws and paws masses of burned and rotting flesh.

Looking back at Ryo, he felt like throwing up. Where Ryo's face had once been, there was this small, slightly smoking pile of red, rotted flesh. The flesh bubbled and quivered, and suddenly it reassumed the shape of Ryo's head. The digimon were also healing their injuries.

_'Oh, man... These things aren't human!'_ Even as Takato thought about the word _human_, he felt changes happening to him. The claws that now replaced his arms now felt dull and numb. He watched as said claws fell to the ground, leaving torn stumps for his arms. Said arms began to grow back into human hands, fingers exploding from the quivering masses that became his palms. He felt his tail deaden, and fall off, and the area became his butt once more.

He watched as the transformation affected Guilmon, though in an opposite manner. Instead of falling off, his tail and claws grew larger. They continued growing until the human skin couldn't take it, and tore apart.

Growling softly, Guilmon stepped over the dead husk that was once his skin. He stood next to Takato, who pulled out his digivice. He fished through his ever-present deck until he found the one card he had been searching for.

_Ichimai no kaado hanatsu hikari ga oh_

Kono monogatari no hajimari tsugeteru oh

Kimitachi wa sude ni shujinkou nan da alright?  
Get up'n fight! aaku wo kazasou

Yuuki wo riaraizu shiro  
Geeji wo fukkiru kurai ni  
Evolution suru kimi ga teimaa

"CARD SLASH!" Takato roared. "Imperialdramon's MEGA DEATH!"

Slash the life! Pawaa wo ageyou  
Kaado surasshu! Yuujou no tame ni   
Slash the life! Kimitachi wa nareru sa  
Muteki no paatonaa

Kimi no yume ga moshi makete shimaeba oh  
Noizu ni kawatte ubawareru dake sa oh

Mamoritai kimochi nigirishimetara ready?  
Get up'n fight! ima sugu ni surotto in!

Namida wo shinjiru real world  
Suuchi de kanjiru digital world  
Futatsu no fiirudo kimi wa hashire

Guilmon felt the familiar sensation as the attack found its way from his heart to his mouth.

Slash the life! yasei ga mezameru  
Wairudo wan! kakusareta enajii  
Slash the life! kimitachi no mirai wo sono te de tsukame

Slash the life! pawaa wo ageyou  
Kaado surasshu! yuujou no tame ni   
Slash the life! kimitachi wa nareru sa  
Muteki no paatonaa

Slash the life! yasei ga mezameru  
Wairudo wan! kakusareta enajii  
Slash the life! kimitachi no mirai wo sono te de tsukame

Slash the life! pawaa wo ageyou  
Kaado surasshu! yuujou no tame ni   
Slash the life! kimitachi wa nareru sa  
Muteki no paatonaa

Opening his mouth wide as possible, he shot the blast at, not Ryo or Cyberdramon, not Jenrya or Terriermon, but at Ruki and Renamon. It didn't matter, though, as the resulting explosion engulfed them all. Guilmon and Takato knew no more, as they were blown backwards by the large blast. The last thing either of them remembered was pain as they smashed through twin glass doors face first.

_**AN: From here on out We're going to refer to the Ryo, Ruki, and Jenrya above in a different style.**_

"_Are they okay?"_

_"That was a pretty harsh fall..."_

_"They are going to be alright, Shuichon... (I hope)..."_

_"Yamaki-san... we've got them into a rehab center..."_

_"Come back, Takato..."_

_"Guilmon... come back to us..."_

"Unngghhh..." Takato moaned as he listened to the conversations going on around him. He felt something soft and warm caress his face lovingly. His eyes opened slowly and saw Ruki, who didn't remove her hand until it was too late, blush and turn away. He smiled and held her hand. She didn't put up much of a fight.

He looked around and saw Guilmon sit up and take in his surroundings. Renamon was hovering over the red dinosaur, asking him if he wanted water, food, etc. Guilmon was too dazed to answer. Looking around, Takato saw the other Tamers, but the only Digimon present were Guilmon and Renamon.

"Takato?" Ruki asked. Takato turned to her, puzzled. He then remembered where his hand was, and removed it, blushing embarrassedly.

"Where is this?" He asked.

"Hypnos' healing and rehabilitation center," said a new voice. Takato turned and saw Yamaki enter the area, Hirokazu, Jenrya, and Ryo stepping in his wake.

"How are you doing, Takato?" Yamaki asked.

Takato noticed that Yamaki seemed tense, and was sweating lightly.

"Umm... Takato," he said finally. "Why did you crash through the front doors of the building? Covered in this?"

Yamaki held out his hand and showed a small vial filled with a red gel-like substance. Upon seeing it, something in Takato's mind clicked.

He leapt off the bench upon which he was resting, and backed away from Ruki. Guilmon must have remembered, too, for the Saurian joined his Tamer. He bared his teeth at Renamon, who paused in her attempt to follow.

"What... What are you doing here?" Takato demanded, staring at Ruki. "We blew you up!"

Yamaki sighed, and shook his head. "I was afraid of this."

Takato started, he had forgotten about the old man.

"Takato, listen to me. You didn't blow up Ruki, or anyone else, for that matter. What you did blow up was an escaped experiment. And I thank you for it."

This bit of info had a surprising affect on Takato. "A-An experiment?"

"Yes. Code-named: Symbiote; we attempted to make it by emulating the process that created Guilmon. It was designed to become one with any bit of focused matter on the planet, it developed a level of... how should I put this... instinct."

Takato looked around the room; everyone was listening intently.

"Instinct?" Kenta asked.

"Yes. It had absorbed most of the data attached to it, and became intelligent, intelligent enough to understand the meaning of deception for its own gain. It broke out, but not before we had locked on to its signature. Then, about an hour later, it came across a re-opened portal..."

"That would be Takato's fault, right?" Hirokazu grinned, turning to his long-time friend.

"Re-activated monster-maker file," Takato explained sheepishly to Yamaki.

"That would explain why Renamon and Guilmon are here. Anyway, something blew it up."

"Mine and Guilmon's fault again, Yamaki. Gomen." Takato scratched the back of his head.

"I won't ask _how_ you blew up $1,000,000 worth of government science," Yamaki smiled sardonically, "but I will tell you that you were unsuccessful. It was split into three parts."

"Apparently, the pieces separated, and spread to various parts of Shinjuku, where they came upon Ryo Akiyama, Jenrya Wong, and Ruki Makino," Reika interrupted. "We found them lying on the ground, covered in symbiotic residue. They took the shapes of said people."

"But that still doesn't explain why Ruki, Ryo, and Jen were acting strange at the party. This, by the way, was earlier then the separation."

"We think it already was able to split, gather data, then reassemble," Reika explained. "Takato and Guilmon probably just made the separation permanent, and erased all other data, making the symbiote have to repeat itself."

"Once it regained the data necessary, the three pieces retook the forms of said humans. Now that it had found a digimon, the pieces of the Symbiote split into both Tamer and Digimon. The one that we think assumed the shapes of Ruki and Renamon entered Takato's house this morning."

"But who moved us back to the bakery that night? We had fainted."

"That was our fault, Takato." Ruki blushed as she admitted it. "We broke out of Hypnos around midnight. Yamaki wasn't too happy."

"Oh."

"Anyway, it followed you to the park."

"And it deceived us, played us like a child's game, attacked us, and ripped out our hearts," Takato spat, tears pouring. Guilmon didn't say anything, but the others could tell from his expression that he was hurt badly. Renamon put her paw on his shoulder, but it was shrugged off.

"And it was unsuccessfully blown up once more, but you got blown back to here."

"_Nani?!_ But... we hit it with a Mega Death."

"We made it to withstand the force of a Garuru Cannon."

"It's... still... alive!?" Takato roared.

"Y-yes. It is..."

"Where?" Takato demanded. Grabbing Yamaki's lapels, he proceeded to shake said industrialist like a rag doll. His anger grew, as well as his arms, and pretty soon, Takato dropped him because of his recently developed claws.

Calming himself down at the sight of his claws, Takato willed himself to become human, and his hands reformed themselves. He ignored the looks that the other Tamers gave him.

"Sorry, Yamaki... I lost control..." Takato admonished, helping the man up.

Once Yamaki had smoothed himself over, he proceeded to explain that...

"We don't know where it is."

Takato shouted in frustration. He proceeded to advance on Yamaki again, but Ruki slapped him across the face, and then punched him in the gut.

"Get over it, Gogglehead," she ordered. "I know you're mad, but that doesn't mean you have to beat Yamaki up! Now stop acting like a baby!"

"You d-don't know... wh-what its like...YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Takato screamed in torment, and fell to the floor, sobbing. Guilmon joined his partner, crying silently.

Ruki paused in mid-rant to see Takato on the floor. She shook her head in disgust and turned, only to see Hirokazu, Kenta, Jenrya, and Juri glaring at her.

"Can't you see his pain?" Juri asked in a deathly calm voice.

"He paid his heart out... to a look-alike of _you_!" Hirokazu added.

Ruki backed up, and started looking for help. Yamaki backed away slowly. Even Ryo didn't help; he shook his head scoldingly

She backed up into Takato, who was rising from the floor.

"It- it's okay, guys. I'll get over it."

"T-Takato? I'm sorry for hurting you..." Ruki apologized. "I... I was hurt badly when I was a child... and I was selfish when I told you not to cry. I just couldn't imagine you crying, so I insulted you to stop you, but I only made things worse. I apologize."

Takato smiled softly, and took her hand. She blushed, and hugged him.

A shattering noise ripped through the air, bringing Takato and Ruki back to reality.

Takato glared at the entrance to the room. At the doors that made a whirring noise as they opened. Revealing the symbiotic look-alikes, sporting Ruki's, Jen's, and Ryo's D-Arcs.

'_Takato was right! They're- they're **perfect copies of us!**_' Ruki thought, sweating bullets.

Yamaki paled, and slowly backed up, shielding Reika.

Renamon leapt forward and joined Guilmon.

"Takato! We can't fight without both a D-Arc and our digimon!" Jenrya cried.

"Don't worry. We have plenty of fight to spare." Takato grinned.

"Guilmon, Evolve!"

**_"GUILMON EVOLVE..."_**

The dinosaur's _skin_ peeled off, revealing Guilmon's data code. The code began to shift greatly, and a new appearance began to take form.

**_"GROWMON!"_**

Naritai jibun yume ni miru no wa  
Dare ni mo tanomenai sa

Takato grinned as the much larger dinosaur, now sporting more markings, side claws, horns, and a seriously awesome hairdo, appeared and roared loudly.

"D-Arc! Activate battle systems! Monitor all battle variables!"

**_Orders complied_**

"Exhaust Flame!" Growmon roared, spewing forth an extremely hot flame. It melted through the floor, revealing an extremely large underground cavern. Takato braced himself as the Tamers, Symbiotes, Yamaki, Reika, and the two digimon fell to the ground in a heap. Smoke took too long to clear, putting the Tamers at a disadvantage.

Try kiba wo muita yasashisa mo arun da  
Mamoritai mono no mae de wa

"Erase Claw!" CyberDramon roared. Takato realized that it was one Adult vs. two Children and an Ultimate.

**_Multiple targets closing_**

"... Damn..." Takato groaned as Growmon took a nasty hit.

"Takato!" Yamaki cried, and tossed the boy's game cards to him.

Sekai ga kawaru kitto kono itami wo norikoetara  
Mayotteru hima wa nai sa tatakawanakucha

Keshiki ga kawaru sora mo osorenai yuuki motta kara  
Chigau jibun wo sagashite tobitateru hazu sa

"Yes! Growmon! Up and at 'em! Evolve!"

**_"GROWMON EVOLVE..."_**

Iiwake bakari kangaete mata  
Nanika no sei ni suru no ka?

This time, instead of skin peeling off, it stretched and refitted as Growmon grew, and gained armor.

**_"MEGALO GROWMON!"_**

Cry kizu tsuitari atsuku naru kara koso  
Ikiterun daro omokiri

"Ready to put your new power to the test, buddy?" Takato shouted over the explosion of rippling power.

"How does this answer your question?" Megalo Growmon grinned. "ATOMIC MEGALO BLASTER!"

If Renamon ever thought Megalo Growmon was powerful before she stood corrected as she witnessed a blast that would have put an atomic-fusion bomb to shame. The blast shot forward, knocking the symbiote back to the main lobby.

Sekai ga kawaru kitto kono itami wo norikoetara  
Mayotteru hima wa nai sa tatakawanakucha

Keshiki ga kawaru sora mo osorenai yuuki motta kara  
Chigau jibun wo sagashite tobitateru hazu sa

Sekai ga kawaru kitto kono itami wo norikoetara  
Mayotteru hima wa nai sa tatakawanakucha

Following the trail of destruction, Takato glared as he saw the symbiotes standing, unharmed.

"What's it going to take?" Takato yelled in frustration.

**_Multiple Targets Closing_**

"Shit."

But, this time, the targets weren't the symbiote. A tall shadow, grouped by several other shadows stood in the doorway, framed, but hidden, by the sunlight. The tall figure pointed an arm at the symbiotes and shouted two words that brought hope to the Tamers...

"DOUBLE IMPACT!!!"

The Tamers and Megalo Growmon cheered as Beelzebumon's blast exploded toward the imposters.

"Here comes the Cavalry! GATLING ARMS!" shouted another familiar voice.

"CHARM PLUNDER!"

"WARNING LASER!"  
"VIOLENT ROCK RABBIT!"

"CYBER NAIL!"

A great blast was met with a great cheer as Tamers and Digimon reunited. Kenta didn't see where Marine Angemon was, but Mermaimon explained that she was Marine Angemon's Perfect form. He was rather excited about that.

Juri's momentary happiness and hope were soon replaced by sadness and a little bit of jealousy.

"So... you got your stupid partners... You still won't win," Ruki glared.

"So you say..." Beelzebumon grinned, winking at Juri. "Takato!" he roared.

"You got it! D-Arc! Override partner limitations! Beelzebumon CARD SLASH!"

Beelzebumon nodded, and spread his arms.

"DATA SEPERATION!" The two roared. A great rift appeared in front of the Demon Lord.

"RETURN OF THE KING!!!" The three voices roared.

'_Wait... THREE?'_ Ruki thought.

"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!"

A lion-head-shaped force exploded out of the rift slamming into Ryo, followed by the long-gone, but still impressive figure of...

"Leomon!" Juri squealed and ran forward into her Digimon's arms as the rift closed.

Tapping on Leomon's shoulder, Beelzebumon grinned sheepishly.

"Uh... Sorry about your deletion."

"I forgive you, Demon." Leomon turned to the symbiotic copies. "So what have I missed?"

"Tell you later. Now, we fight!"

"Agreed!"

The multitude of digimon ran forward, only to be blasted back by JigokuJustimon, Kuzuhamon, and Black Saint Galgomon.

"Shit! They used the time to evolve."

"Then let _us_ do what _they_ do best. Let's copycat them!" Galgomon grinned.

"HAI! MATRIX... oh wait... we don't have our D-Arcs..." Jen admitted.

"You could've let us know that earlier."

"Great... Just great... The only Final levels we have access to are a demon lord, a knight, and an insane dragon on steroids with some super serious mental issues," Ruki groaned.

The last digimon on her list made Takato think. The D-Arc picked up his thought and relayed the question. Takato relayed the question to Megalo Growmon, who nodded.

"D-Arc! Accept Operation! Final Evolution activated."

"**_MEGALO GROWMON EVOLVE..."_**

Everyone watched, some in surprise, some in awe, but all in horror. Juri most of all. Leomon wasn't present at the first time it happened, but even he quaked in fear of the overwhelming power.

The Prime Level dinosaur's armor melted and rearranged into the spiked, lethal to the touch armor of the great dragon. The Prime's body was ripped to shreds, revealing data code. The code shifted to remove the legs, but he grew wings instead. The canines grew into saber-like fangs, his claws expanded to monstrous inflamed fists, his tail grew long and ended in a deadly stabbing blade, and ridges ending in spikes grew out of his back, from the neck to the tail point, ripping through the skin in their way. The eyes narrowed and slanted, and the pupils dilated to slits. The transformation had been completed revealing...

"**_MEGIDRAMON!"_**

Ruki turned, horrified, to Takato. He had brought the monster back to life? She started toward him, but Leomon caught her mid-stomp. Indicating to Megidramon, Leomon showed both Ruki and Juri that it was not insane. In fact, it seemed to be just Guilmon in the dragon's body. Apparently, the tamers noticed this, too. They all stood stock-still as Megidramon grinned, which in-itself was pretty scary.

"Symbiote! You found us, played us, ripped out our hearts, and came back for more. Well, we won't take it! Prepare to die!" Takato roared.

"DARK... SOUL... BLAST!!!" Megidramon screamed. He released from his mouth a blast that ripped the very color from the area and ate through the air. It was a vacuum that tore toward the many forms of the symbiote. Upon impact, the blast ripped the symbiote to shreds, and continued to burn the floor surrounding them.

When the blast dilated, red piles of quivering ooze were seen.

"No... It can't be! Not even Megidramon can take them down," Takato grimaced.

"What do you think?" Ruki screeched at him. "If Beelzebumon can't beat them, then how…" Ruki paused as Takato's face changed from worry to joy.

"Megidramon!" Takato grinned. "The D-Arcs are still on the floor! Get 'em boy!"

"You got it!" Megidramon sneered as he dove toward said objects. Picking them up, he swooped back, and dropped them into their respective owner's hands.

The tamers all watched in satisfaction as the symbiotes returned to their assumed forms. As the shape-shifters had none of the five basic senses in their natural state, it would be needless to say that they were pretty cocky.

"Oh… Do the widdle Tamers wanna go home because they know we're invincible?" Ruki snickered in a baby voice. She… um… It continued to gloat. At least until it saw the D-Arcs in the Tamer's hands.

"Let's try this again!" Jenrya grinned as Galgomon resumed his Child form. "MATRIX EVOLUTION!"

Hikari wo hanatsu karada ga  
Toke au matrix evolution  
Sono toki subete wakaru sa  
Futari deaeta imi

Jenrya, Ruki, and Ryo grinned as they felt the familiar sensation. They bodies were stripped to their raw elements as they merged with their partners to become the living fortress and shaman priestess known as…

"SAINT GALGOMON!", "SAKUYAMON!", and "Justimon!"

Takato smiled and looked up at his partner. The giant dragon nodded.

"MATRIX EVOLUTION!" The two fighters roared.

Kokoro no katachi kimi wa kami ni kakeru kai?  
Ichibyou goto ni iro mo kaeru mono da yo

Shinjiru koto ga donna koto ka wakaru kai?  
Kimi no subete ga tamesarete irun da yo

Takato knew that this particular evolution was going to be different as he watched Megidramon curl and coil into a shapeless, glowing mass. The mass shifted and changed and fitted itself around Takato. As the transformation continued, Takato felt Guilmon's mind converge with his. The armor that now covered the two continued to shift and change beyond its normal form, until it was not simply Dukemon standing there. Instead, Takato and Megidramon found and formed a new branch of the Hazzard's power.

Yuuki dake ja todokanain da  
Osore made hitotsu ni natta sono toki

Leomon had never been present for any prior matrix evolutions and stared in awe at the three legends told by the great warriors of the digital plane. He recalled the one of the legends as he watched Takato and Megidramon transform.

'_A Royal Knight born from one of the Four Great Dragons, Megidramon. He reigns as the guardian deity of Virus-type Digimon, and belongs to the Royal Knights, the highest grade of network security. If his perfect balance collapses, he will completely change and become a dangerous existence... His sword Gram, and shield Aegis, are made from ChronDigizoit.'_

Looking at the priestess, he recalled another legend. 

'_The work of the Ying Yang philosophy is the favorite of the Shaman Priestess. Her role is to execute the will of god by proxy, and she uses four foxes for information gathering and other purposes. When she hears the will of god, she transforms into another form. She demonstrates her power by sending out foxes of four types: fire, water, wind, and lightning to attack and gather information!'_

As Leomon looked up to Saint Galgomon, he recalled one last legend.

'_He's equipped with a megaton gun as a weapon! His firepower and strength are equal to that of a fortress. He forms an uncrossable line with his barrage of bullets, a green berserker warrior! He blasts open the front gates! This amazing guy's whole body is a weapons storehouse!! He's equipped with megaton class weapons! His firepower and strength are like a fort!'_

True, they were more descriptions and stories than legend, but they sounded like legends nonetheless.

Hikari wo hanatsu karada ga  
Toke au matrix evolution  
Subete ga michita shunkan  
Ima sore ga ima!  
Zero e to kawaru kokoro ga   
Toke au matrix evolution  
Sono toki subete wakaru sa  
Futari deaeta imi

Leomon turned back to Takato's transformation as he finally completed the change. Apparently, the symbiote didn't think that this transformation would be any different from the normal matrix evolution. They were very wrong.

Takato felt the mass surge of power explode through his system as he roared…

"MEDIEVAL DUKEMON!"

Kodou de sae mo onaji rizumu kizameba  
Afureru chikara kanjitoreru hazu darou

Tatakau tame ni hitotsu ni naru koto yori  
Wakariau tame hitotsu ni natta hazu sa

Slightly taller than the original Dukemon, he wore a cape made of polymerized ChronDigizoit, 10 times stronger than the original metal. His armor was much more impressive, and Jenrya realized that this form of Dukemon could survive living in the sun's core. There was also this sense of true regality. Looking over the assembled, his eyes rested on Sakuyamon.

Inside said Priestess, Ruki felt a blush creep up her face. She could sense Takato gazing at her from within Medieval Dukemon. '_Is he… is he sizing me up? No… Takato wouldn't do something like that. He wouldn't… not Takato…'_

Kasanete kita jikan no tsubu ga  
Kiseki no tobira wo hiraku sono toki

'How do you know that?' whispered a nasty little voice in her head. 'Your father left you at the age of six. How do you know he won't either?'

'_Because Takato isn't like that… I know he isn't._'

'You can't prove it.'

'_S-so?_'

'How do you know he's trustworthy?'

'_I- I don't…_' Ruki paused. She didn't know how trustworthy Takato was. This whole mess might've been a play staged by the symbiote. But…

'**_RUKI! You know perfectly well Takato wouldn't do something like that!_**' Renamon's voice sounded in her head. '**_He's a nice boy and you know it. Don't listen to that other voice. It's not yours!_**'

Ruki couldn't decide what to do. She swayed back and forth, unsure of what to do or who to believe. She watched; a prisoner in her own mind as the Tamers battled with the Symbiotes. Throughout the battle, she noticed that Medieval Dukemon didn't really battle, but continued to move toward her, deflecting attacks with his hands. He continued to move forward, until he stood right in front of her, staring down at her imperiously.

Mirai wo erabu chikara ga  
Mezameru matrix evolution  
Kimitachi ni shika dekinai  
Saa me wo hirake!

Sagashitsuzuketa kotae ga  
Riaraizu suru evolution  
Kokoro no katachi awasete   
Nido to hanasanaide

Something foreign, something feral rose up inside Ruki, and the urge to attack him became almost unbearable. She raised her staff and swung it at his face while it was loaded with her magic. For all the effect it had on him, she might as well have tried to knock over a tree with a toothpick. The blow glanced off of his armor, and he smacked her hand, automatic reflexes causing her to drop the staff. He then slowly placed his hand upon her face and whispered unintelligible phrases that somehow calmed her. She felt some foreign essence being removed from her system, and waited for it to be finished. As the strange aura was totally removed, she held on to Medieval Dukemon for support as she slowly stood up.

Once she regained her footing, Ruki noticed that the nasty voice in her head was gone. She looked up at Medieval Dukemon, whose eyes seemed to breathe sympathy into her soul. With a start she had realized that he had seen the memory of her father leaving. He now shared that knowledge. She blushed and tried to pull away, but soon realized that struggling would be useless.

It wasn't that Medieval Dukemon held her too tight. She just simply didn't want to leave the comfort of his arms. She realized that, even though Takato had his own emotional problems, but he still comforted hers. She placed her head against his and cried. She cried and cried, feeling the tears spring, unbidden, to and from her eyes. Like a brook moving slowly, and like a river, rushing madly. She cried and cried some more, letting her pent up emotions run wild.

Dou naru no ka ga wakaranai  
Michi no chikara no kowasa mo  
Futari de koete yukun da  
Saa me wo hirake!  
Mirai wo erabu chikara ga   
Mezameru matrix evolution  
Kimitachi ni shika dekinai  
Sore ga saigo no shinka

After what seemed to be an eternity, Sakuyamon lifted her head, and brushed away her tears. "S-sorry you had to see that, Taka… Gogglehead," Ruki smiled strangely, halfway between sheepish and grinning. From within Medieval Dukemon, Takato grinned. "Meh. I've seen weirder."

"We've all seen weird things, now can we get with the program?!" Leomon roared as he deflected a shot meant for the pair. Ruki started, she had totally forgotten about the symbiote when Takato evolved. Looking at Takato, who smiled back at her from within the Royal Knight, she raised her staff, and struck the ground.

"Vajra Mandala!" The attack moved forward with great force. It slammed into the symbiote, but did next to nothing except blow up a limb or two, which soon healed.

Hikari wo hanatsu karada ga  
Toke au matrix evolution  
Subete ga michita shunkan  
Ima sore ga ima!  
Zero e to kawaru kokoro ga   
Toke au matrix evolution  
Sono toki subete wakaru sa  
Futari deaeta imi

Medieval Dukemon stood still, not attacking, and not getting hit either. He seemed to be waiting to for something. But nobody could tell what.

He raised a single hand.

"SUMMON! CULUMON!"

There was a bright flash, and suddenly the small, semi-rotund digimon appeared, floating in the air.

"Dukemon!" The huggable Digimon squealed. "You got a… what was the word… a MAKEOVER!"

"Not quite, my friend…" Medieval Dukemon chuckled. "Now I need you to do something for me, Culumon. I'm going to give you some of my power, okay? We're going to make a super Evolution, all right?"

"O.K.!"

"Infuse! Shining Evolution!" Medieval Dukemon and Culumon roared!

A burst of holy power exploded through the Hypnos lobby, and set everyone's D-arcs off like crazy. Jeri drew a card from her deck, and watched with amazement as it turned to a blue card. She noticed similar happenings with Shuichon, Hirokazu, and Kenta. Taking the initiative, she swiped the card through her D-arc. Shuichon, Hirokazu and Kenta did likewise.

"CARD SLASH! EVOLUTION!"

"LEOMON EVOLVE…"

Leomon's body began to shift and change. He grew taller, and felt his mane grow longer, each hair ending in a long, sharp spike. He gained blue-gray armor over a section of mail that worked smoothly together; not a kink in the works. His arms were supple, and easily able to lift a trailer.

"GRAPPLEOMON!" he roared, letting the surrounding forms to be bathed in his light.

"GUARDROMON EVOLVE…"

Guadromon's armor also began to shift. Some parts lengthened to fit his new body, others disappeared entirely. His body grew to about seven feet tall, a rather lengthy stretch, but his modified armor was meant for this, and fitted itself to his arms, legs and head as he completed the transformation to…

"ANDROMON!"

"TURUIEMON EVOLVE…"

Turuiemon's excavation claws exploded into data, and her outfit transformed into the armor of the Deva warrior whose title she used to hold. The light-purple fur darkened into a strange sort of dark tan. She now sported large arms and powerful limbs, easily supporting of her acrobatics.

"ANTIRAMON!"

"MERMAIMON EVOLVE…"

Mermaimon's 'skin' peeled off, showing her data code. The code itself began to compress itself, and assumed the form of the ocean fairy called…

"PI PU RIRU MI (MARINE ANGEMON)!"

The new unit of fighters sprung forward, in tandem with the Matrix forms of the others. The battle seemed to go well, until something unexpected came into play. The Digimon could only be swept away by the analytic ocean of red slime that emanated from Kuzuhamon's staff, Jigoku Justimon's arm, and Black Saint Galgomon's multiple turrets.

"Oh, silly us," Kuzuhamon sneered. "We forgot to tell you… We're D-Reaper Second Generation."

"_What?..._" Takato gasped. Everyone else stopped trying to escape and froze. Even GrappLeomon, who had never experienced the deadly deletion program before, knew not to struggle. So this was the mindless _thing_ that even the Ultimate Digimon spook about in hushed whispers in the middle of the night? The ooze scanned them all, and then broke apart into menacing copies of the non-Matrix Digimon.

"Oh, don't worry. We won't merely erase you," JigokuJustimon (J.J.mon) grinned haughtily as he walked for ward. Sakuyamon struggled, but it was no use. The Reaper grabbed her, and lifted her forward, toward the evil incarnation of Justimon.

J.J.mon grinned, and placed his humanoid hand on Sakuyamon's cheek. He began to slowly caress it, and whisper seductively in her ear. To say Sakuyamon tried to kick his ass to Hell and back would be the understatement of the millennium. She struggled for everything she was worth, but without her Mandala, she was useless. No one was coming to her rescue, and she doubted that the Royal Knight was even paying attention. Eventually, she just gave up trying altogether.

Juri watched with unquenchable rage as JigokuJustimon continued to whisper in Sakuyamon's ear. She barely noticed that Medieval Dukemon had positioned himself like Son Goku, from the Dragon Ball Z show, did when he was charging up. Ignoring this totally, she watched as J.J.mon continued something similar to a temptation.

"You could always be my queen, Ruki-chan…" J.J.mon grinned seductively as he stroked Sakuyamon's cheek. "Power beyond imagining would be yours. The finest of anything you wanted would be yours. Your merest whim would be served as top priority. You would truly be the Digimon Queen."

Ruki had to admit, it was a tempting offer. She offered no resistance against J.J.mon as he continued to entice her.

"All you have to do is…," J.J.mon continued as his hand slid down her neck, slowly removing her right hand-based armor, and then removing her left arm armor. "…Give up Takato and the others…"

'_Wait… Give up Takato? Give him up after all that he's done for me? GIVE UP TAKATO?_'

She smiled seductively right back at JigokuJustimon. Medieval Dukemon lost his passion for a moment, and watched with downcast eyes as Sakuyamon tilted her head upwards.

And then nailed JigokuJustimon's right eye with a loogie.

"Never in a million years, loser!" She roared, her energy back. She began to thrash vehemently against the D-Reaper Claw that held her captive. Getting one arm free, she managed to summon her Mandala.

"Hey, FREAK!" Sakuyamon shouted, breaking free of the claw that held her. "First off, I would _never_ be your queen. I'd rather be a piece of Hirokazu's shit!"

"Now that's not nice!" Hirokazu complained.

"Second, I already like someone." Ruki was seriously ticked, but she paused to glance at Takato, and walked over to him, intertwining her arm with his, her face red as a cherry, knowing exactly what she was doing. This got some responses from the Tamers: Hirokazu and Kenta gasped audibly; Andromon was slightly confused; Marine Angemon, Shuichon, and Lopmon broke into giggling fits; Juri, GrappLeomon, Justimon, and Saint Galgomon sighed with relief, they had been forced to endure weeks upon weeks of "I don't know what I should do… Does he/she like me?" speeches. And Takato just stood stock still.

"And third…" Sakuyamon continued, but her train of thought had been interrupted, and without it to keep her fervor going, all she could do was watch, and prepare for battle.

"And Third," Medieval Dukemon continued. "You would have to go through us! RAGE OF WYVERN!" He cried.

A genki-dama about the size of one of Sakuyamon's pieces of shoulder armor shot out of Medieval Dukemon's hand, and instantly evaporated the D-Reaper sludge that covered the floor.

Once everyone was free, Takato released Ruki's hold on his arm, and walked slowly forward.

"Takato, what are you doing?" Ruki asked. She placed her hand on his arm.

"I'm going to stop them." Takato shrugged her hand off, and walked slowly forward.

"D-Reaper!" Medieval Dukemon called. "You hold the advantage by beating the weaker digimon, and then copying them. Your strength lies in self-interest and gain, whereas ours lies in Teamwork!"

The symbiotic copies exchanged puzzled looks.

"Let me show you. CULUMON!" Takato shouted. The rotund Digimon hopped onto the knights head.

"FINAL CREST!" They both shouted. Takato felt the energy explode from his body, and with that explosion he felt a new train of thought, one that had lain dormant for millennia on end…

In a place where steel formations jutted out in the oddest of places, three figures stood, overlooking the Internet from their lofty perch. They shared a sense of regality that made one want to bow before them. But there was also a sense of sadness; one was missing from their number.

In shining armor, the trio looked down upon the world in which they were raised.

The largest one, named Omegamon, searched for something, anything, to take his mind off his sadness. The lights below showed Digimon celebrating a holiday that had been declared as "Karite Oujou Kyuuka". The lights reflected off of his blue and white armor, glancing off of his Garuru Cannon and Grey Sword; each weapon was roughly the size of a tree. His cloak swirled in the wind that nipped at his heels. Finding nothing, he drew back and turned to the other two.

One adorned white-grey ChronDigizoit armor with yellow point tips. From his back two great, blue wings flapped silently in the darkness. Dynasmon carried the look of a lazy, insolent fool, but the last Final level Digimon who had considered him a tasty snack found themselves making their excuses to the Three Great Angel Digimon, after turning around and running from his Breath of Wyvern.

The last member of their triad, Rhodo Knightmon, wore pink armor, but did that stop him from cleaning up Demon-incited rebellion after Demon-incited rebellion of Perfects and Ultimates on his own? It most certainly didn't! In fact, the armor was to make his opponents underestimate him. He had easily beat down the resistance and cleansed the souls of the mindless beasts with his Argent Fear and Spiral Masquerade attacks.

Pausing slightly, Omegamon picked up what seemed to be a whisper of sound. It didn't come from his comrade knights, but soon he didn't really care about that, as his main focus was to keep from falling off his perch as the whisper was turned into a blast of light and force. It was soon over, and Omegamon peered over the edge of the Royal Knights' lookout.

Down below, almost every single light had been blown out. But the citizens of Digiworld didn't mind. They thought it was all a part of the celebration.

'_Good,_' thought Omegamon. '_No need to worry them over some freak occurrence._'

"Omegamon, did you feel that?" asked Dynasmon, who was shaking his head clear. Rhodo Knightmon barely escaped the blast by using lightning reflexes to hide behind a particularly thick spire, but was still seriously shaken.

It took a while for Omegamon to answer. Something about the blast had been extraordinarily familiar. Visions of past battles where not three, but four Royal Knights battled side by side. Breathing deeply, he smiled from within his helmet as he felt the familiar essence of the 4th Royal Knight. He was back! But… something was wrong. It wasn't a blast of heraldry and glory, as Omegamon originally thought, but a final desperate defense and call of help.

Turning to the two others, who weren't as skilled in battle as him, and therefore looked to him as their leader. It was already his honorary title, but their respect for him would cause them to follow him against every Digimon in existence.

They would've shared this respect with one other, but he had been sealed within the Hazzard when he solely went up against the Demon Corps for insulting his friends and his dignity. Rhodo Knightmon remembered that Dukemon didn't make the move until after Lady Devimon had made the crack about Sakuyamon (Dukemon did have a tendency to chose odd friends, and even Dynasmon figured out about Dukemon's "illness" about Sakuyamon) and his honor. That was his snapping point. He could've withstood the crack about his honor, he had been getting better at that, but it was the dual insult that got him.

He had unleashed his power, only to have The Great Demon Lord Belphemon: Sleep Mode rebound it against him, trapping him within his own power. The rebound also had the nasty effect of sealing the other monsters that were Dukemon's friends: Sakuyamon (Omegamon had been forced to endure long journeys full of his horrid love poems; Dukemon may have been a good fighter, but poetry wasn't exactly one of his strong points, especially when it came to a certain Shamanic Priestess who worked for the Sovereigns), Saint Galgomon (not only a walking fortress that made horrid jokes, but a martial artist master to boot; Dukemon sure could pick them), Saber Leomon (A strange mix of fighter, beast, and healer who the Royal Knight had known from the stage of Baby II), High Andromon (A loyal child-hood friend of Dukemon's that had always wanted to work with technology; who knew that the 'mon would become the Guardian Deity for all technological Digimon), Cherubimon (Rhodo Knightmon didn't know how in the Dark Ocean that Dukemon could've befriended an Angel Digimon, let alone one of the famous Trio), Marine Angemon (Dynasmon couldn't believe that the Deep Savior Angel had to use a Holy Ring to keep his head on her shoulders, literally, that freaked him out), Justimon (did Dukemon have a knack for weird friends or what?), and lastly Beelzebumon (Dukemon had gotten a few nasty knocks on the head trying to free him from the viral disease that had gotten the Demon Master drunk on power).

The Royal Knights wanted to help, but Dukemon couldn't let them be sealed away, so before the seal finally was completed, he used the last bit of magic that he could, and forced the Royal Knights to the peak of Mt. Infinity.

Supposedly, the Digimon were sealed away until the need for heroes to arise in their forms, and go through similar situations that the originals had been through, in order to gain the necessary experience. Apparently, now the time was dangerous enough to waken the Royal Knight, and that was reason enough for Omegamon, Dynasmon, and Rhodo Knightmon to find their friend.

Using his Grey Sword, Omegamon sliced through the very fabric that separated the Real World from the Digital. Stepping through the vortex, the Trinity of Knights prepared themselves for battle; if it was something to make Medieval Dukemon need help, then they must be ready for anything.

In Hypnos, a giant rift opened in the center of the ravaged wasteland. Three regal Digimon stepped from the portal.

"Dukemon! You have called for our help. We have traveled from the Soul of the Digiworld, to assist you. We will help fight your enemies _TO THE DEATH!!!_"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**CLZH:** Man, that was a long chapter!

**CLZH-X:** It took us about two months to write this one.

**BOTH:**_ Well, read and review. And please keep Shuichon out of your kitchens. Who knows what'll happen_.

Guilmon is running away from Chef Shuichon, who is determined to have the Saurian for dinner.


	5. Ender Technique

Darkness. The simplicity of shadow. The mind-numbing charisma of the abyss. Upon examination, a small Red light permeates the area. No, not one. Two. Two lights, one surrounded by the other in the form of an orb. The inner light gives off a feeling of confusion. Confusion consisting of emotion: uncertainty, determination, courage, fear, love, and hatred. The confusion is what gives the light its uniqueness, its purpose, its soul. The surrounding light, while also a mass of confusion is… simpler. Loyalty, friendship, trust, glee, rage. They are both separate identities, but united as one for their purpose.

Their combined light gives off a third light. This light in itself has no true purpose; it is merely a combination effect of one light shining through the other. Soon, other lights begin to shine through, mostly in pairs. Some of the pairs are united like the red, some float astride each other. The unions are found in Green, Blue, and Grey. The two confused lights shining through one another, creating a third different light. Also, some pairs of light include Pink, Brown, Yellow, and others. These pairs aren't as interconnected, but have similar bonds; the two lights only shine faintly in sync.

The lights are surrounded by similar entities, but the newcomers are darker, more sinister, and linked indefinitely. It is the presence of these lights that causes the Reds to grow hotter and more passionately. Soon, the third Red light begins to give off energy on its own. It, like those before it, begins to shift and alter within and upon itself. The Red lights begin to mix and traverse, forming Hazzard. The third light begins to develop its own feel and power. This causes dormancy among the other linked pairs. As the three Red lights swirl and mix, they begin to fuse and coalesce into one bright Red light. The orb of Red light begins to contract, and it continues to diminish in size, but its potency grows infinitely greater.

All at once, the Red light is unbound, with a cry of…

"Final Elysian!"

Kazuhamon grunted as she toppled over Jigoku Justimon in an attempt to clear the way from the purging light, which made it to Black Saint Galgomon and completely obliterated his right leg and thigh. _What the…_ The fused pair of symbiotic material, "Dark Blue", as they preferred to be called, (an antithesis of sorts to Ruki Makino's and Renamon's "Blue") thought. _Not two minutes ago, they were going down! They were beaten! We would've won!_

Jigoku Justimon looked at Dukemon in amazement and disbelief. _No way… No Friggin' WAY!_ The Royal Knight looked down at the symbiotic figure. He didn't change expression as he relentlessly marched forward, bearing the gait of a possessed monster. Jigoku Justimon looked at his eyes: he could see the human anger from Takato, and the bestial rage from Guilmon, but there was something else, a wisdom and confidence foreign to either of the two.

The symbiotes looked on as the possessed knight held his saber aloft. Dashing forward, Dukemon swung his arm forward with the cry of, "Sieg Saber!" The spear crashed downward, slicing Jigoku Justimon in half; Dukemon, unstoppable, continued to rush forward through the slowly reforming ooze.

Ruki, from within Sakuyamon, gasped. The armored juggernaut continued its relentless parade, carving through the mass. She turned to the Royal Knights, who were equally dumbstruck at the sudden change. Omegamon thought he knew what was going on, but decided to keep his mouth shut. He meekly raised his Garuru Cannon as the symbiotes behind Dukemon prepared to attack, but then Dukemon preformed a somersault in mid-air, dashed in the opposite direction, and obliterated them, so he let it fall. Hirokazu noticed the symbiotes were having trouble reforming fast enough to survive Dukemon's assault.

Omegamon paused and watched the Carriers of the Hazzard's strange movements. Although overall just about eradicating anything in their way, they seemed to pause for a moment, as if undecided, which was abnormal, because their movements were in total harmony usually, unless there was a third…

The fused Royal Knight glanced around him; nobody seemed to be watching. Letting his eyes fade into black, the spirit of the Royal Knight spread throughout his own body until it found the dormant souls of two others, War Greymon and Metal Garurumon. Flowing throughout his body Omegamon connected himself to the two other digimon, forming a matrix of information. **Greetings, warriors of Fire and Ice. I wish to converse with you on the matter at hand, concerning the abnormality of the Hazzard Warriors.**

_Nice to see you, too, Omegamon. I was having a nice dream about Pheonixmon just now._

Figures, you go gaga over anything that has feathers.

**Shut up, both of you!**

Sorry.

_Yeah, what he said._

**Now, to business. What are your opinions on the matter at hand?**

_What matter?_

As Omegamon sighed in despair, Dukemon flew past him, preformed an acrobatic stunt, and sliced through Kazuhamon's left arm, following up with a flip, and crashed through Marine Devimon.

That one, moron.

_Oh._

Looks like the newbie's have either inherited our old pal, Medieval Dukemon's moves spontaneously, or they're being possessed. You get three guesses.

But, if that's the case… 

_Maybe the others are still around! Maybe Belphemon didn't seal them away completely! He was still just waking up, after all, at the time!_

Maybe, but Dukemon still isn't himself. The last time he was like this was when… well… 

_The idiot fell for Daemon's tricks, and got riled up over what he thought had been the…cruel seduction… of Sakuyamon. I don't blame him though; they had a thing for each other, but were too shy._

Don't remind me… Agh! Now's not the time! We need to help Dukemon! 

As Dark Orange: Hirokazu flew past, Metal Garurumon grinned and drawled, You sure about that?

…

Okay, fine. But what can we do? He's starting another holocaust, just like before!

What we did last time! I hope you two remember what to do! 

_Sure, but if I get crowned like last time, I'm gonna rip you to shreds, Omega!_

Grinning to himself, Omegamon resumed control of his body. He watched for a second as Dukemon continued his rampage, and then leapt forward.

"Grey Sword!"

The ancient blade arced outward, and caught Gram mid-swing. Dukemon's halted momentum caused him to float in the air for second, and then the recoil through him back. Unperturbed, Dukemon preformed another acrobatic stunt, and aimed his shield at the slowly reforming ooze that once had been monopolizing the battle, now barely had enough energy to reform. They had sustained sufficient damage, and had reconnected their individual wills to gather enough power to amend themselves. Dukemon, in his insane rage, had charged his shield to overflowing. Omegamon glared at the red knight, raised his cannon, and fired at the dragonic warrior at the same time that the Final Ellysian was released. In the resulting explosion, Omegamon grunted, and using his immense strength, actually detached his arms. He grinned as the heads of War Greymon and Metal Garurumon gained control, green and blue eyes flashing as the entered the smoke, retracting both sword and cannon. Omegamon himself jumped back to rejoin the other two Royal Knights and the Tamers, who were looking at him confusedly.

"Watch," he stated simply. As the dust cleared, they gasped as Dukemon struggled relentlessly against his bonds. The Dragon and the Wolf had clamped down on him, effectively restricting all movement. Grunting and panting, Dukemon continued to thrash, as his captors slowly brought him before Omegamon. Beholding the mighty warrior, Dukemon glared fiercely, before he saw Sakuyamon.

"…What…? I… wha… how… Omegamon… you… Sakuyamon… I… no… what- what's going on?"

"You went nuts, so, big and shiny here decided to make you take an airborne dirt nap." Ruki smiled, Dukemon was okay.

"Sakuyamon… how…? I thought… you had been sealed away…!"

"…What are you talking about…? Sealed… away? I'm right here, you nimrod! Stop playing around!" But in her heart, Ruki knew something was seriously wrong. "Takato… is something wrong…?"

"…Takato…? Who's that?"

Ruki gasped. He didn't remember her? How could he not? It didn't make sense! Her power failed her, and she and Renamon diffused to their original forms. Dukemon's eyes went wide.

"What…? No, it can't… be… This is some sick… nightmare…" Dukemon struggled harder against his captors. "It's not… possible…"

"Takato! Wake up!" Ruki's hand flew forward, striking the warriors helmet. Ruki bit her lip to hold in the pain, and tried to ignore the blood. Dukemon ha stopped moving, and went slightly limp.

"Wake up?" he chuckled weakly. "I wish. What happened?"

"You don't remember who are you are? Takato…"

"I told you, little girl, I'm Dukemon, though in this hell spawned place, I doubt you'd understand that."

"…EXCUSE ME! Why you punk little FREAK! Just try to say that again you pompous, overblown circus act! I dare you!" Ruki's hand flew forward again, and there was a solid clang as her fist caught the Knight's cheek plate. Dynasmon cringed slightly.

Dukemon was taken aback, and something in his golden eyes changed. Omegamon could catch traces of the forest green and brown that made up Takato's eye's unique hue and the simple yellow of Guimon's. The golden tint of Dukemon faded only slightly, but didn't disappear.

"…Ruki…? I… what the…?"

"Don't you dare start playing games again, Takato! Or I will crush you."

"She'll have help," Renamon affirmed, eyes cold.

"Is Renamon okay, Takato? Did we do something? Guilmon doesn't remember…"

"I… why are there… voices in my… head…?"

"Whoa! Brain Freeze! What the… urggh…!"

Omegamon eyes widened. "It's a struggle for dominance!"

"What are you talking about?" Ruki glared at the white Knight.

"The ancient spirit of Dukemon has awoken from his slumber. Long story, trust me. Unfortunately, he's struggling against Takato and Guilmon. Obviously, this isn't good. If he manages to dominate completely, the other two will be lost. And if Takato and Guilmon's union beats him, then they won't be able to stand against the symbiote. Oh, shoot…"

"Thanks for that, hot shot. Judecca Prison!"

A black ray of hot death erupted from the mass of the symbiotes. Ruki screamed as she felt the searing heat peel away at her skin. She was losing consciousness as she fell into Dukemon's arms. Wait, what?

Ruki groaned as she opened her eyes. Dukemon was holding her and Renamon in his arm, while his shield, Aegis was propped up against his back. Looking over his shoulder as the heat dissipated, the crimson knight's eyes narrowed as a black, familiar form marched out of the muck. Putting down his charges, Dukemon whipped around and met his adversary.

He gasped as he beheld his challenger. Standing before him was… himself, but in black and silver armor as opposed to his own red and gold. Sickly Green eyes met his own, but a cruel confidence easily distinguished them. The Red Knight marched slowly toward his perverse double, but before he could get close, the black figure melted into thin air,

"Whassamatta, ya goodie-two-shoes? Couldn't see that comin'? DEMON'S DISASTER!"

A dark stream of energy hurled itself to Dukemon. The air burned as the green arc screamed piercingly, flying at the crimson knight. A crash followed, and smoke billowed from the crater left by the impact. The Dark Knight reappeared, glaring haughtily at the bruised form lying in the ditch before him. Ruki gasped at the sight of Dukemon, armor shattered, leaking red energy.

Takato grunted in pain, as he slowly tried to get up. His consciousness was fuzzy at best, and he could only barely feel Guilmon. "Come on…! Get… get up! Got- gotta…" He willed his every fiber to stand, to be able to fight for just a moment longer. He reached inside himself for the power necessary, the strength to keep going. He delved further into himself than ever before, accessing his own soul. And there, he found a strength he'd never found before.

Dukemon stood up, glowing brightly. He lifted his arm, holding the saber aloft, and then he flung it forward. Flying true, Chaos Dukemon avoided the fatal blow only barely, as it snagged his cape. Grunting in pain (the cape was a symbiotic part of him, after all), he attempted to shift his position by turning back into symbiotic mass. But, Dukemon was still one step ahead. Chaos Dukemon froze as his original counter part held Aegis before him, planting his feet squarely.

It was over; he couldn't do a thing to stop it. This fight had progressed too far, Chaos Dukemon realized. He stared with fear as the red shield burned brightly. Dukemon was about to release the power, he would be fried toast. No matter what he could do, he was still pinned, and the blast radius at point blank was enormous.

"Ura Izuna!" Thousands of foxes of dark energy erupted from Kuzuhamon's staff, colliding with Dukemon, knocking him to the side, peeling off his armor and flinging him into the air.

"TAKATO!" the Tamers cried out.

Kuzuhamon twirled her staff rapidly, doing a strange dance in conjunction with the spin. Leaping into the air, she centered her staff, and the distorted air exploded, pouring Dark Energy into Dukemon, and forcing his smoking body into the ground. As Ruki screamed shrilly, Omegamon came to the bleak, yet overpowering conclusion.

"…We've lost…"

Clzh: SORRY! This took us so long to write! Homework has been catching up, and we're just coming out of a case of severe writer's block!

Clzh-X: That, and Overlord.OS's main system crashed, so we had to start fresh. Sorry again.

Yamato Takeru: …Idiot, the system crashed because you thought the driver was a friggin' CARD DEALER!

X: So?

Goddra2: That's the problem. We're all losers!

Nom De Plume: So what? Society sucks as a whole. Losers are the ultimate!

Clzh: Enough! We're sorry the system sucks, it's been improving. See ya next tme!


	6. End Card Hazzard

The only thing that Takato felt for the moment was a light, irksome twinge of pain. He did not know where he was, or for that matter, he did not care, either. Sitting up, he felt the pain slowly drain away from his body as he looked around.

Strange, dark gears and clocks were churning and turning in the space around him. As Takato Matsuda looked again, his first thought was, _I've been here before_.

"That's right, Takato," came Guilmon's cheerful rumble. "Remember this place?"

"Oh, plenty," Takato chuckled. "Can I assume that we haven't won? Again?"

"That seems to be the case," came a third voice. Takato and Guilmon turned to see a tall, red-mantled knight in shining crimson and white armor. "Greetings, I am—"

"Dukemon," finished Takato and Guilmon in unison. "We know."

"Well, okay," said the crimson knight. "I just thought, you know, it might be nice to introduce myself."

"Sorry," apologized Takato. "It's just that, well, whenever Guilmon and I Matrix Evolve, we, uh, _become _you."

"Yes. I know. I have seen your memories, and paid particular attention to the way you used my abilities. I am not impressed."

"Forgive us," Takato said coolly. "We didn't know our inexperience was to be judged."

"Do not take me wrong, friends," said the crimson knight, approaching them. "I know this, and have come to offer my assistance."

"Assistance?"

"Well, if you want to go right back to fighting for dominance, be my guest."

"All right, fine. You win."

"Excellent. Now hold, still. This might sting a bit."The crimson knight slowly reached forward and touched his fingers to the foreheads of both Takato and Guilmon—

—And suddenly, Dukemon was lying in the bottom of a pit, aware of his surroundings. His armor had peeled completely off in places, revealing pallid skin against a splatter of red blood. He slowly rose into a sitting position.

The symbiotes had not noticed. They were too busy advancing on the futile defenses of the Tamers.

"Come, children," cackled Marine Devimon. "Allow me to show you a hadal demise!"

Dukemon slowly hiked to the rim of the crater, but what should have been an agonizing task was remarkably painless, as though an anesthetized aura stood between the Matrix Digimon and the pain. He sighted his quarry, and slowly raised Gram into the air. A strange crimson energy began to jolt up and down his spear's length, crackling silently.

"Hey, UGLY!" called Takato.

Chaos Dukemon froze, and slowly turned to see Dukemon. "No. Way."

"Next time you decide to bury me, make sure I'm _dead_ first! ROYAL SABER!!" With a scream, Dukemon swung the tip of Gram down, unleashing an explosion of energy. A column of crimson force surged forward, slicing cleanly through everything and anything in its path.

Jigoku Justimon stared uncomprehendingly at the raw data pouring out of his right half before understanding his own bisection. And then he burst into a strange liquid, not the same as his raw symbiotic state.

Charging forward, Dukemon tossed Aegis away like some great boomerang, and leapt up to Black Saint Galgomon's chest, plunging his sword into it. He carved a wide, sweeping tear in it, and leapt out of the way as his shield, spinning like some great discus, cleaved into the tear, extracting a howl of agony from the mechanical war-dog as it burst, too, into the strange grey pus.

Landing neatly on his two feet, Dukemon snatched Aegis as it continued to spin wildly in space. He surveyed the remainder of the symbiotes. "Now, then, who's feeling lucky?"

The dark Hirokazu and Kenta looked at one another strangely. SymbiAndromon and Marine Devimon also exchanged looks, and then attacked together. Dukemon stood there for a moment, and then as the attacks loomed over them, he disappeared.

"Cowardly tactics are no guarantee, Symbiote." It was with these words that he plunged his saber through Marine Devimon, continued his momentum, and destroyed SymbiAndromon.

Over in the corner of the room, the Tamers and Royal Knights stared in shock as Dukemon obliterated the Symbiote-mass, bit by bit, until only Kazuhamon and ChaosDukemon were left. Without even waiting for a reaction, Dukemon slew his counterpart, and then looked at Kazuhamon.

"You have _no_ idea how much I want to hurt you," seethed Dukemon in three voices. "You messed with me and my heart, and than betrayed me… But, no, you won't suffer…"

Kazuhamon stumbled backward as Dukemon roared out the final thing she ever heard. _**"I'LL DESTROY YOU HERE AND NOW!!!"**_

…And then it was over, and Dukemon was gone. In his place stood Takato and Guilmon, coated in a slime, grey mess. Were they sad? Upset?

Ruki couldn't see any expression, just a tired listlessness. "Takato?"

The tamer looked up at her, and she saw a foreign deadness in Takato's eyes that scared her. "I'm fine, Ruki… Just very, very tired."

Without a look back, the human teenager walked away from the group and into the sunlight, not noticing that an extra card had appeared in his pocket.

END: CARD HAZZARD

Clzh sighed as he heared the slam of the door and his twin's ragged breath from running up all those stairs.

"WADDAYA MEAN, 'END: CARD HAZZARD'?!" shrieked Clzh-X.

Clzh looked up tiredly. "What do you think? The story's over."

"It can't be over!! That was too short an ending!! And you can hardly call it emotionally satisfying! And whatever happened to that Yu-Gi-Oh thing you promised?"

"Calm yourself," said Yamato Takeru, appearing silently behind him. "The story may be over, but the saga is not."

"Yeah," agreed Goddra2, "School's taking too much time, so we can't pump out fics like before. This way, we can 'complete' Card Hazzard, without it really being over."

"But what about the fans? Some of them have waited long and hard for an ending, and you give them this? Two minutes of butt-whoop and a quick exit?!"

"Like said before, time just wouldn't allow," growled Clzh. "you have my word its not over. Not really, anyway.

"We'll just have to see what happens."

X looked hard at his twin before conceding. "Alright, alright, but you better have a whammy of a real ending."

"I promise."


End file.
